TSSA delegates opened their conference with a display of international solidarity this weekend when they unanimously affiliated to the campaign to free imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan, known to many as Apo.

Dinesh Bhardwa told conference that Mr Ocalan, one of the founders of the Kurdistan Workers Party who has been imprisoned for more than 18 years, was key to securing “a peaceful and lasting solution” in the region.

Sarah-Jane Potter asked delegates to “reflect on Abdullah Ocalan’s work in Kurdish feminism,” adding that he had “noted the link between oppression of women in particular and oppression in general.”